Jamie Carragher has been left puzzled by Liverpool’s rumoured interest in Bradley Barcola and believes the club should be working to sign a right winger.
Liverpool lost one of their all-time greats this summer as Mohamed Salah brought his glittering nine-year spell on Merseyside to an end, leaving behind an almighty void to fill at Anfield.
The Reds moved quickly to strengthen their attack with the addition of Victor Munoz, who joined in a £35million deal with Osasuna to become the first signing of Andoni Iraola’s reign.
Widespread reports claim Liverpool are also plotting a big-money bid to prise Barcola away from Paris Saint-Germain after holding positive discussions with the Frenchman’s representatives.
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The 20-time English champions have turned their attentions to Barcola after missing out Yan Diomande, who has reportedly reached an agreement to leave RB Leipzig for Real Madrid.
And while Liverpool recognise that a deal for Barcola will not come cheap, club chiefs are understood to be confident of driving down PSG’s eye-watering £145m asking price for the 23-year-old.
But former Liverpool defender Carragher has opened up on his reservations about the move given the club’s lack of options on the right, with Barcola more accustomed to operating on the opposite flank.
In response to a Sky Sports tweet posing the question, ‘Is Bradley Barcola the player to replace Mo Salah at Liverpool?’, Carragher said: ‘No he plays on the opposite flank!
‘Liverpool currently have three players who could play from the left in Rio [Ngumoha]/[Cody] Gakpo/[Florian] Wirtz & no one who plays from the right.’
He later added: ‘Forgot [Victor] Munoz as well!!!!!!’
Barcola’s future has been the subject of intense speculation throughout the summer and it’s understood Arsenal are rivalling Liverpool with a potential bid for the two-time Champions League winner.
Widespread reports at the weekend claimed Vinicius Junior had been placed at the top of Arsenal’s shortlist of targets, with Mikel Arteta ‘absolutely smitten’ with the idea of capturing the Brazilian.
However, it appears the Gunners will be forced to divert their gaze elsewhere after Vinicius made it clear that signing a contract renewal at Real Madrid was his number one priority.
According to former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, Barcola should be the club’s primary focus if their pursuit Vinicius is indeed dead in the water.
‘If Arsenal don’t get Vinicius, then they have to get Bradley Barcola,’ Merson wrote in his Sky Sports column.
‘They have to get a left winger in, especially now Leandro Trossard has left. They left themselves very short in that position.
‘And if Arsenal don’t get Vinicius or Barcola, then it’s a major worry.
‘For them to let Trossard go is not good business in my opinion – not for what you’re selling,’ he went on.
‘He went for literally nothing. I can’t believe that half the Premier League weren’t after Trossard. He played in all the big games for Arsenal last season and he’s a brilliant footballer.
‘There are a lot of good players but not a lot of good footballers out there. He came under that second category.’
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